CDC Preterm Birth Activities

CDC scientists are collaborating with many partners, including state health departments, university researchers, and other health care professionals to understand why preterm births occur and what can be done to help prevent them. CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health is engaged in the following activities:

Perinatal Quality Collaboratives

CDC scientists, in collaboration with our partners, are working to understand the multiple reasons for preterm births and advance new strategies for prevention. CDC provides support to state Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQC) initiatives in California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Ohio. State Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) are networks of perinatal care providers and public health professionals working together to implement best practices such as real-time reporting of perinatal clinical quality metrics (e.g., elective deliveries less than 39 weeks of gestation, administration of antenatal steroids [medication given before birth to speed up a baby’s lung development]) in an effort to prevent prematurity and improve outcomes for infants born too early and too small.

One of the goals of CDC’s work with PQCs is the dissemination of strategies used by high-functioning PQCs to states in various stages of development. In partnership with CDC-funded collaboratives, the Division of Reproductive Health hosts regular Webinars that allow PQCs to share strategies related to their development as well as specific perinatal quality improvement initiatives. Recordings of previous Webinars are archived and available for viewing.